Blade Singer
by Aaron de Orive & Martha Wells
Paged: 202
Book Description:
Manuel "Manny" Boreaux, a troubled adolescent from Texas, is magically transported into the body of a goblin pickpocket in an alternate world inhabited by faerie creatures. Manny must quickly adapt to the danger all around him and try to find a way to get back home, a feat complicated by the pickpocket's association with a notorious gang of thieves. But when Manny uncovers a plot to assassinate a young king, he must enlist the aid of an elf cavalier and a cat burglar to thwart a Sidhe witch's scheme to ignite a civil war between humans and the Fae.
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MY REVIEW
I didn't know what to expect from this book as I hadn't read the blurb prior to reading it, but I must say it took me by surprise, in a good way. It's full of magic and adventure and well suited for a young audience, particularly tween readers.
The world building was the best part of this story for me. The author did a good job in creating a world full of adventure and colourful characters. It had a discworld feel to it featuring fairytale creatures we're all familiar with.
The opening chapters set the pace off to a great start introducing readers to the main character Manny and the world he inhabits. Recently orphaned Manny is finding it hard to adjust to his new surroundings so when he's forcefully thrust into an alternate world, embodying a pickpocket goblin called Remy, he gets the chance to escape his world. Manny, however, quickly finds out that running away isn't always the answer and doesn't necessarily solve his problems.
The opening chapters set the pace off to a great start introducing readers to the main character Manny and the world he inhabits. Recently orphaned Manny is finding it hard to adjust to his new surroundings so when he's forcefully thrust into an alternate world, embodying a pickpocket goblin called Remy, he gets the chance to escape his world. Manny, however, quickly finds out that running away isn't always the answer and doesn't necessarily solve his problems.
I found the story dragged a little in the middle, and my interest started to wane in some parts, but it picked up pace again in the last quarter of the book where Manny fully takes control of his fate and takes an authoritative stand to protect the ones he cares about.
I liked Blade Singer. It was an enjoyable story. I wasn't jumping out of my seat, but I liked the themes that were portrayed throughout. It's definitely one for the family.
VERDICT:
I liked Blade Singer. It was an enjoyable story. I wasn't jumping out of my seat, but I liked the themes that were portrayed throughout. It's definitely one for the family.
VERDICT:
SILVER
Award: Silver
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: Review copy via CBB Book Promotions
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: Review copy via CBB Book Promotions
About the Authors:
A graduate of the University of Texas' film program, Aaron de Orive began his professional writing career in the video game industry, serving as a lead or senior writer on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, Tabula Rasa, Anarchy Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. He is also the creator of the fantasy role-playing game SHARD: World of the False Dawn. Blade Singer is his first novel. Aaron lives in Austin with his wife, daughter, and two very spoiled terriers.
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Martha Wells is the author of a number of fantasy novels, including The Cloud Roads, The Siren Depths, The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer. Her YA fantasy, Emilie and the Hollow World, was published by Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry in April 2013, and the sequel, Emilie and the Sky World, was released in March 2014. Two collections of Books of the Raksura novellas will be published in September 2014 and Fall 2015. She has had short stories in Black Gate, Realms of Fantasy, Stargate Magazine, and Lightspeed Magazine, and in the anthologies Elemental, The Year's Best Fantasy #7, Tales of the Emerald Serpent and The Other Half of the Sky. She has essays in the nonfiction anthologies Farscape Forever, Mapping the World of Harry Potter, and Chicks Unravel Time. She has also written media-tie-in novels, Stargate Atlantis: Reliquary and Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement, and a Star Wars novel, Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge.
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***GIVEAWAY***
(2) $25 Gift Cards to Amazon or B&N (INT).
I'm glad you mostly enjoyed this one. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing for the tour!
ReplyDeletealways love alternate realities, especially when it involves magic! - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win!! The book sounds great!
ReplyDeleteSounds intriguing. Love the cover too.
ReplyDeleteSounds really good, looking forward to reading this book!
ReplyDelete